Pages

Banner

Sunday, March 22, 2015

It's been a while since I've done a formal review of a book, and I've never reviewed an entire series at one time. With Kristen Ashley's Rock Chick Series, I'm breaking my dry spell... I'm speaking out and begging, pleading, insisting, and (insert here whatever works) for you to stop what you're doing and buy this series ($3.99 each and only a $1.99 if you add the audible version). You heard me right. Don't just buy the first book. Go ahead and buy them all because you're going to buy them eventually anyway. You might as well have them at the ready.

I'm going to be honest with you and admit that I must live with my head in the sand (considering how many phenomenal ratings/reviewsMs. Ashley has on Goodreads) because I'd never heard of this series until Amazon recommended it to me as one it thought I'd like based on my previous purchases. While those recommendations are not always accurate - in my case anyway - this one couldn't have been more perfect.

If you know me at all, you know that I only review books I consider to be excellent. I've certainly read books that weren't 'my cup of tea', but I go out of my way to keep those opinions to myself. In the case of the Rock Chick Series, I don't have to sugar coat anything. The writing is wonderful. The characters are endearing, hilarious, morally and ethically upstanding, sweet, tender, protective, tolerant, committed, vulnerable, passionate, adventurous, family and friend oriented, and periodically lovingly obtuse. The stories are full of ups and downs, and despite the number of pages/words, they go so fast that you mourn each's ending. In case there is any doubt, I whole-heartedly rate each of these with the highest 5 Star possible.

Each book is the love story of a different couple, but the same cast of characters return, grow, and entertain us with each book. It's not about one person, one couple, one story. It's about all of them and all of it. And... even though I love all of them and all of it, I have a favorite couple. It's the Rock Chick vigilante Jules and the Hot Bunch's protective Vance. You won't get to them until book #4, but they're worth the wait. I promise.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Just in case anyone assumes I live a life full of constant and consistent drama (or why else would I force my books' characters to live through it... right?), I can assure you that my home life is anything but dramatic. I work hard at maintaining a zenlike balance because I have a day job in healthcare where the only constants and consistents are change and need. It makes for hectic days, and when coupled with the commute from hell (trust me... Houston's rush hour traffic is nightmarish enough to warrant it's own horror flick ツ), I go out of my way to make sure my time away from my healthcare job is not spent hustling, bustling, and/or jockeying for anything anywhere.

As such, it stands to reason that when the rest of the world is heading - by the thousands - toward crowded beaches for their wild and crazy spring breaks, I head in the direction of a beach that is exactly the opposite. As boring as it sounds, I want - need - peace... calm... tranquility, and I need it like a man dying of thirst needs a drink of water.

Because this particular spring break was so wonderfully relaxing, I thought I'd share some of the photos I took while going on nature walks, strolling the quiet beach near my writer's retreat, and/or staring out at the bird sanctuary from my balcony. Let me be the first to warn you that there is nothing scandalous, risque, or salacious. You will only witness evidence of the brief moments in time when I found the peace, the calm, and the tranquility I'd been in desperate search of.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

I'm not sure what makes this 'blue & black' dress a sensation, but it is. Equally puzzling for me is the fact that half of my family/friends see it as black and blue while the other half vehemently argue that it's as white and gold as white and gold can be. Needless to say, the debate (familial and national) has been the tiniest bit frustrating.The disagreement is unsettling because the people who aren't seeing the dress in the same 'light' as you - in some situations - are people you love and respect, ones you admire and ones you know would never maliciously try to mess with your head. The reality is I've long suspected that everyone sees colors differently. The whole discussion made me realize these differences of opinions happen all day every day and no one questions them to this degree. I suspect that has to do with the fact that the interpretation of colors (excluding people who are color blind) should be relatively objective. Black is black. Blue is blue. White is white. Gold is gold. Usually!When it comes to books, music, movies, paintings, photography, etc., we've long known that the like or dislike of them is completely dependent on our moods, a lifetimes' worth of experiences, our morals/ethics, our training, our preferences, etc.; therefore, disagreements are not only expected but welcomed. I've been writing for years now and have come to the realization that everyone is not always going to think my books are the best thing since sliced bread. This acceptance was a critical step in maturing as an artist and my ability to continue writing. Now, I understand that one reviewer might send me a very personal message, one so sweet it leaves me in tears, letting me know just how much she loved my book while another might hate that same book so much that his/her very public condemnation of my work might be gentler coming from Ming the Merciless himself. I've said many times that I only read Fifty Shades of Greybecause of its horrible reviews. I knew that if it was on the best sellers lists it couldn't possibly be as bad as the reviewers were making it out to be. Now (and not because of the erotica in the book... in fact... despite the erotica in the book), it's one of my favorite go-to stories/characters. As with all great national debates, it proves that not everyone sees the world in the same light. One person's black and blue dress is another person's gold and white dress. One person's favorite book is another's 'worst waste of time'. The most important thing to come from this is the acceptance that we all see things differently. As such, reviews of books (and movies, music, etc.) should be taken with a grain of salt. Just because one person hates a book does not mean that you will. In fact, you might be pleasantly surprised when you take a chance on something others despise.

About Me

She lives in Texas with her husband, their nineteen-year-old
daughter, and nine-year-old son. Besides being blessed with a supportive
family, she counts her career as an administrator and registered nurse in
not-for-profit hospitals among her most fulfilling accomplishments.

My Goodreads Book Shelf

Honestly, Emily's story is a hard one to write, but it is one that must be told. Her life is one worth reading about and learning from in spite of the atrocities carried out against her and the people she loves and no matter how gut-wren...

I'm excited to reveal that I've written the first book, Left, in a new series, Still Standing.
Left
is not a book I'd planned to write. It's a story that found me and would not let me go until it was done. In fact, I was near...

Everlasting by Alyson Noel.The final book of The Immortals Series is the perfect ending to a series filled with love, hate, romance, passion, regret, and the effects (positive and negative) of karma.
We've known for a while that Ever, ...

Let me start the review of Grave Bound by saying this book is an adult contemporary written for audiences 18+. The genre is solid without even a hint of paranormal, fantasy, or Christian.
There were two reasons for me to make a change ...

If healing a dying person could kill you, would you do it? That is the question Dr. Allison La Crosse must ask herself every time she gives in to her compulsion to save people who are near death. By saving them, she agrees to take on the...

Ella and Micha... could two young people be more messed up yet compliment each other more perfectly? I think not.
Jessica Sorensen has a rare talent when it comes to building sexual tension between characters, and The Secret of Ella an...

If healing a dying person could kill you, would you do it? That is the question Dr. Allison La Crosse must ask herself every time she gives in to her compulsion to save people who are near death. By saving them, she agrees to take on the...

Colleen Houck has done an incredible job of maintaining The Tiger Saga's excitement, adventure, tenderness, and passion with Tiger's Destiny. I've said before that this is one of my all-time favorite series, and with its final book, tha...

The Immortal Rules is one of those books that takes you - first - by surprise and - second - for the ride of your life. It is anything but another vampire book. It's a romance that leaves you wanting more... hoping for more.
Equally am...

I'm embarrassed to say that I purposefully avoided Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) for a long while. I'm not a fan of the whole Cinderella story being told and retold. Mistake. Big mistake. Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) is so deep and so uni...

Insurgent is one of those books that messes with your psyche and makes you question every character, their motives, and their actions. Veronica Roth is so talented that those who betray Tris might well have betrayed me because the acts f...

Divergent is one of those stories that pulls you in and never lets you go. Veronica Roth's talent is unquestionable. She begins this story with a scrawny and weak girl and ends with a formidable and powerful woman. This is not easily acc...

Clary, Jace, and Simon are back and better than ever in City of Lost Souls. Sebastian does a great job at replacing Valentine and manipulating Jace...much to Clary's dismay. Clary is as headstrong and committed as she's ever been...muc...

I can say with absolute certainty that Enemies of the Cross is my favorite book of The Warrior Series. Yes, I do like it more than Warriors of the Cross and Guardians of the Cross. Within it, I've ratcheted up the excitement to a point...

Tiger's Voyage is another wonderful book within one of my favorite series to date. Colleen Houck is a phenomenal author who has done a great job writing a story filled with heart-squeezing romance, unbelievably believable fantasy world...

Tiger's Quest (The Tiger Saga #2) had so many parts to it that I literally felt as if I'd read three seperate books once it was over...all equally amazing. I said with Tiger's Curse (The Tiger Saga #1) that Colleen Houck had instantanee...

This is an AMAZING... PHENOMENAL... WONDERFUL series, and it has instantly shot to the top of my personal all-time favorite series list. I should mention that I have three series tied for the top spot honors, meaning I could never choos...

Torment is a strong follow-up to Fallen. In it, we are reunited with our favorite characters (Luce, Daniel, and Cameron) and are introduced to several new ones (Miles and Shelby), who are memorable enough for us to long to see - much - ...

WHAT A FINALE!! Really...I'm not sure it could have been any better!
I loved the way E.L. James began Fifty Shades Freed. Instead of walking us through the 'same old, same old'. She moved us ahead and let us relive some of the not ...

As much as I loved Fifty Shades of Grey, this book is where the series hooks you. We begin not only seeing but also becoming angry over every childhood tragedy behind the darkness plaguing Ana's beloved Christian. Believe me, it doesn'...

Fifty Shades of Grey should absolutely positively NOT to be judged by its c...(uh. um.) genre. If you do, you will miss out on one of the best series and the most endearing, interesting, polarizing, and passionate characters I've ever ...

This novella is more about Ash and Puck's relationship than anything. Making it all the more special is the fact that it is told by Puck and his point of view. Summer's Crossing gave us a glimpse into Puck's mind and made him even more...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The Iron Fey Series is a great series. The Iron Knight does not disappoint when it comes to action (especially the action), adventure, and love.
No longer abstract or vague, 'the end of th...

The Iron Fey Series is the kind of series I love, and The Iron Queen is an amazing read. Believe it or not, this series gets better and better with each tender moment...each dangerous adventure...each phenomenal book. I'm sure some par...

My love for this series was sealed with this book. I adored everything about it. The love triangle is so complicated that I can't blame Meghan for falling for two wonderful people. Both guys are completely unique and endearing. Princ...

Let me start off by saying The Iron King is a wonderfully written book, and Julie Kagawa has created a great new world within it. It took me a little longer than usual to really get into it, but that was about me and not the book or the...

My biggest problem with Forever by Maggie Stiefvater is the fact that there's not a fourth book in the series (at least, not yet).
With Shiver and Linger, I enjoyed reading about Grace and Sam...the evolution of their relationship, lov...

Linger is proof that the second book in a series can be better than the first. A fact I never would have believed after finishing Shiver. When I read Maggie Stiefvater's writing, I'm amazed at the way she describes the tiniest things.....

There are many things to keep you interested while you are reading Shiver.
First, you are constantly reminded of the temperature. By the end of the book, you are conditioned to need that 'clue' to help you know if the chapter is goin...

This powerful book should come with a warning: May cause depression
Somehow, Suzanne Collins described Katniss' unbearably bleak situation from the beginning of Mockingjay until the end in such a manner that I began feeling sad myself....

Catching Fire is a phenomenal follow-up to The Hunger Games. Now that it's finished, I feel like I'm suffering from a strange compulsion...one pushing me to read Mockingjay as soon as possible in order to find out what happens to people...

The Hunger Games is one of those timeless books that will stay with you forever. In some ways, it is reminiscent of The Lottery combined with a modern-day reality show similar to Survivor. It's a talented author who can describe starvati...

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) is a fantastic follow-up to the Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1). Of course, I would expect nothing more from Cassandra Clare. What a phenomenal author, writer, and story-teller.
T...

Everything you loved about Warriors of the Cross becomes deeper embedded and more fully developed within each action-packed page, making Guardians of the Cross an exciting continuation.
Moving to the next level, relationships evolve...

I'll be honest...I can't give an real review on this or any of the other Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. What I can tell you is my seven year old son LOVES the books from this series enough to forego Wii, Xbox, baseball practice, and touch ...

I just finished reading (okay...listening to) Destined (House of Night #9) by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast. It reminded me of the time in my life when I was naïve enough to think good always prevails…love was all it took…and anything was pos...

How can such a benign thing as a book of white pages filled with black words – ones that mean nothing when uttered separately – become so powerful? DO NOT GO GENTLE… DO NOT GO GENTLE… DO NOT GO GENTLE. The words resonate in my mind, re...

Silence, a great third book in a series with a long, long future. If you are a fan of Hush, Hush and Crescendo (and let's just face it...Patch), the only disappointment you will experience is the fact that the book ends. I know this be...

Even though Beelzebub Girl & the Ancient Legends Series is brimming with vampires, fallen angels, and demons, Jayde Scott continues to do a great job at creating and MAINTAINING an original story-line that will keep readers coming back a...